If you’re looking for a fun way to feed your family while enjoying the great outdoors on a camping trip, these 40 insanely tasty dutch oven camping recipes are for you.
Does the idea of cooking over the fire in a dutch oven intimidate you? If it does, let me tell you, it shouldn’t.
This is one of the easiest ways to whip up a meal or dessert for your family. It’s hassle-free because there’s one pot to cook in and one pot to clean up.
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That’s my kind of camp cooking! It’s also very versatile because you can use it over the fire, on a propane cooktop or in your RV oven.
Dutch ovens are also very durable and can take a beating. If taken care of properly, they’ll last you a very long time.
We’ll get into some of the basics of Dutch oven cooking in a bit for beginners who want a little more information.
But for those of you who just want the recipes, let’s dig in!
Let’s start with the first meal of the day, breakfast. From a breakfast fit for a mountain man to pancakes with berries and cinnamon rolls, these dutch oven recipes are worth waking up for.
Dutch Oven Breakfast Recipes
1. Mountain Man Breakfast
If you’ve got a busy day of outdoor activities planned, starting the day with a hearty breakfast is always a good idea.
This hearty breakfast recipe includes sausage, hash browns, and eggs. It takes only about 20 minutes to cook, and serves 6 to 8 people.
It’s simple. It’s easy. And, it’s a crowd-pleaser. What’s better than a one-pot breakfast that serves a full table of campers?
Main Ingredients
The Mountain Man Breakfast recipe from Lodge calls for frozen hash browns, but we find that the Idahoan fresh cut hash browns is as good as the frozen variety. It’s also more convenient for campers as it’s shelf stable.
Incidentally, Lodge happens to be our favorite brand of cast iron skillets and dutch ovens. The company has been around since 1896. They know what they’re doing with cast iron!
$19.90
Cast iron is a great choice for RV and camp cooking. The Lodge skillet is pre-seasoned and available in various sizes.
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04/06/2024 02:37 pm GMT
Related Reading: RV Convection Oven Recipes to Make Your Mouth Water
2. Ron’s Dutch Oven Biscuits
What goes perfectly with a Mountain Man Breakfast? Biscuits.
Ron, a real deal cowboy, shows us how to make homemade biscuits in the Dutch oven.
Main Ingredients
*You can easily make your own self-rising flour: Mix 2 c flour + 3 t baking powder + 1/2 t salt
**A camper-friendly option is to use Buttermilk Powder, which is made from real cow milk. No refrigeration is required. Simply add water at a 7:1 powder to water ratio and then use in your recipe. Note that if you purchase a different brand of powdered buttermilk, the ratio may differ.
Check out the homemade cast-iron dutch oven biscuit recipe from Texas Recipe Workbook.
3. Dutch Oven Biscuits and Gravy
If you want to kick those biscuits up a notch, add some gravy. The recipe we selected isn’t a one-pot meal because the biscuits are baked in the dutch oven while the gravy is cooked separately over the campfire.
However, it calls for packaged biscuits, which makes preparation quite simple and you won’t have a batter bowl to clean.
The gravy is made with sausage, flour, milk, and seasoning. You can cook the gravy in a cast iron pan on the grill grate, or use the camp stove.
See the entire recipe from Outdoors.
4. Sheepherder’s Breakfast
We shared with you a breakfast fit for a mountain man and now we have one for a sheepherder.
This hearty meal serves up bacon, onion, and hashbrowns. It requires about 30 minutes of prep and cook time.
Serve it with some toast, coffee, and juice for a complete meal at the campsite.
See the entire recipe from Taste of Home.
5. Dutch Oven Cinnamon Rolls
These homemade cinnamon rolls need to rise, so be sure to add the extra time when planning your prep. You could always make the dough the night before.
Let them rise, roll them up, cover tightly, then put the batch in the refrigerator (if you have one while RV camping).
If you’d rather used canned cinnamon rolls, check out this recipe from the Dyrt.
This Giant Cinnamon Roll recipe in a dutch oven also uses canned cinnamon rolls. And it’s giant, so it tastes better obviously!
6. Dutch Oven Breakfast Pizza
You had me at pizza.
Featuring a cornmeal batter on the bottom for the crust, eggs for the batter and ham, cheese, tomatoes and green onions for toppings makes this one flavorful breakfast.
7. Dutch Oven Dutch Baby with Berries
A dutch baby is also known as a German pancake and this recipe from Self Proclaimed Foodie will have you wanting to try these asap.
We often make Dutch Baby pancakes at home. They are a perfect meal for all of you food photographers out there, because of the dramatic way they puff up in the oven.
I love the hearty, eggy flavor of these pancakes. That statement is even more true on a brisk morning at the campfire when everyone is as tired as they are excited about the outdoor adventures the day will bring.
A Dutch Baby is known for being incredibly delicious and irresistible. Instead of covering this with syrup, try berries, powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. A perfect dish for when you find wild blackberries on your hike.
Hungry anyone?
8. Dutch Oven Cinnamon French Toast
What do you get when you mix thick bread with cinnamon, vanilla and campfire coals?
Fresh Off The Grid offers this amazing recipe for your camping breakfast. YUM.
Dutch Oven Bread Recipes
Bread is good for any meal of the day. Bread cooked in a dutch oven while camping is one of the best things you’ll ever taste in your life. From sweetbreads to your basic white bread, you’ll be making bread over the campfire in no time.
9. Crusty Dutch Oven Bread
With only four ingredients and no kneading necessary, there should be nothing holding you back from trying this dutch oven bread recipe from 4 Sons R Us.
All you need is flour, salt, yeast and warm water. This recipe both simple and delicious, perfect for a no-fuss camping treat.
It delivers a yeasty, warm bread, fresh out of the oven taste we all know and love for very minimal work.
Related Reading: 25+ Foil Packet Meals for Easy Camp Cooking
10. Dutch Oven Cinnamon Bread
While this recipe does require 12 hours of rising time, it sounds like it’s well worth it. Just mix up the dough the night before and let it do its thing while you’re peacefully sleeping away.
When you wake up that next morning, just know that the dough takes an additional 25 minutes of rising time, plus 40 minutes to bake in the oven.
If you’d rather cook this over the campfire, here’s a handy video on converting conventional oven recipes to dutch oven cooking.
11. Pull Apart Garlic Bread
Not only does this dutch oven bread recipe look absolutely amazing, but it is so easy to make.
It starts with your basic grocery store artisan bread. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to go camping again for no other reason than to try my hand at making this bread!
You can read through the garlic bread recipe, or watch the video below.
I am drooling. Are you drooling?
Related Reading: 30+ Easy RV Meals for Your Next Road Trip
12. Dutch Oven Banana Bread
Whether you use a mix or your own recipe, these tips and tricks for baking bread in a dutch oven while camping will help you make a loaf of bread everyone will be raving about.
For this recipe and Dutch oven cooking in general, Practical Self Reliance says the key to this kind of cooking is to “place hot coals both above and below the pot.”
See the entire recipe for Dutch oven banana bread by Practical Self reliance.
13. No Knead Jalapeno Cheddar Bread
This is a very easy bakery style bread recipe made in the dutch oven. Note that it does require 12-18 hours of rise time.
That said, there are only six ingredients so you can quickly whip up the dough before bed and let it rise while you’re sleeping.
Or, mix it up in the morning, letting it rise while you’re out hiking, and enjoy it for dinner.
The recipe author says she believes the sole reason Parmesan garlic hummus exists is to pair it with this bread. I would have to agree.
See the full recipe and instructions from Sally’s Baking Addition.
14. No Knead Sun-Dried Tomato, Olive and Feta Bread
I’m imagining this bread served with a Mediterranean salad for lunch and wow my mouth is watering.
Similar to many of the other breads mentioned above, this recipe also requires 12-18 hours or rise time at room temperature.
From reading through the comments, you can use either green or kalamata olives. Everyone is also saying how this bread is packed with flavor.
Try this hearty recipe from One Hundred Dollars a Month.
15. Dutch Oven Zucchini Bread
Fellow campers will be extremely jealous and might stop by for an unexpected visit when they smell this zucchini bread baking up at your campsite.
With ingredients like ground cloves and cinnamon, get ready for mouths to water while it’s baking.
It takes about 50 minutes to an hour to bake.
See the entire recipe for Dutch Oven Zucchini Bread from Learning and Yearning.
Dutch Oven Pizza Recipes
I felt pizza cooked up in a dutch oven deserved an entire category by itself because, well, it’s pizza.
16. A Simple Dutch Oven Pizza Camping Recipe
This is such a simple recipe and the perfect meal to whip up quickly for lunch if your crew is starving.
All that’s needed for this recipe isrefrigerated pizza dough, pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and whatever topping you’d like.
To kick this pizza up a notch, I’d recommend adding some fresh herbs such as basil after the pizza is done baking. YUM!
Get the entire recipe from Let’s Camp S’More.
17. Dutch Oven Pizza and Pizza Topping Ideas
This is by far one of my favorite dutch oven pizza recipes. It gives a ton of topping combo ideas (I’m looking at youMozzarella + Chicken + Red Onions + Cilantro + BBQ Sauce).
Moreover, it also shares some handy tips on how to make sure you’re pizza turns out perfect in the dutch oven.
One great tip is to sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on the parchment, which helps prevent the pizza crust from sticking and also gives it a little crunch.
You can either use prepared pizza dough or their 30-minute pizza dough recipe.
18. Dutch Oven Deep Dish Pizza
Here’s a pizza recipe for all you lovers of deep dish.
Hey Grill Hey has a delicious recipe for pear, brie and prosciutto pizza cooked over the campfire. If you’re wanting something other than your basic pepperoni pizza, this camping recipe is for you.
She also gives some great tips on dutch oven cooking so your pizza turns out just right.
Vegetarian Dutch Oven Recipes
Whether you’re vegetarian yourself or are looking for some meatless ideas to save a little grocery cash, these vegetarian dutch oven recipes are perfect for camping.
19. Vegetarian Lasagna
Using no-boil lasagna noodles is the trick to making this vegetarian lasagna easy peasy for camping.
Add in ricotta and mozzarella cheese, plus spinach and fresh herbs and you have the perfect meal to fuel you before a hike.
Get the entire recipe and instructions from Champagne Tastes.
20. Vegan Minestrone Soup
Imagine this yummy soup cooking up over the campfire on a cold night. To cut the prep time by quite a bit, used canned beans instead of soaking them overnight.
While this recipe is for the stovetop, you can easily make this over a campfire or coals. We’ll include a couple of dutch oven cooking for beginner videos towards the end of this post.
Get this vegan minestrone recipe from Happy Kitchen.
21. Campfire Nachos
Fresh Off the Grid shares that the secret to fantastic dutch oven nachos are the layers. They say building from the ground up is key: chips, cheese, toppings, repeat…
If you build your nachos correctly, each chip is a celebration of crunch, cheese, and delicious topping.
A celebration of crunch? I’m in!
Visit Fresh Off The Grid for our favorite recipe for Campfire Nachos.
22. Vegan Sweet Potato Corn Chowder
Not only does this recipe look and sound delicious, but they even give you helpful tips on what to prep at home first.
Because you’re grilling the vegetables, I can only imagine the flavor this chowder has. There’s a huge difference between grilled corn fresh off the cob and a bag of frozen.
Top the chowder off with green onions and avocado for one amazing vegetarian meal for camping. Get the vegan chowder recipe from Dirty Gourmet.
Dutch Oven Chicken Recipes
23. Chicken Cacciatore
Laura from Family Spice knows a thing or two about camp cooking.
Her family goes camping a lot. What started simply as a way to enjoy meals together while camping, turned into her very own cookbook.
The Camp & Cabin Cookbook features 100 camping recipes. Not only does it feature gorgeous food photography, but also detailed prep instructions.
Check it out and start cooking amazing camping meals your family will love.
Her Chicken Cacciatore recipe is made with chicken thighs, mushrooms, and more tasty vegetables. You can view the full recipe from Family Spice.
24. Dutch Oven Sprite Chicken Recipe
I’ll give you one guess for why this is called Sprite Chicken.
Yep, Sprite is the liquid used to make this recipe, but the recipe creator says you can substitute apple juice instead.
This is a hearty meal perfect for consumption after a busy day of hiking or other outdoor recreation activities. With chicken, potatoes, bacon and carrots, this is camping comfort food at its best.
Check out Fabulessly Frugal for the full list of ingredients and recipe instructions.
25. Sausage and Chicken Cajun Jambalaya
If you enjoy Cajun spices, this recipe from Evolving Table is for you. The Jambalaya is gluten-free and dairy-free and tastes amazing when enjoyed at the campsite.
Plus, it makes fantastic leftovers.
Related Reading: Make Ahead Camping Meals Perfect for RV Travel
26. Dutch Oven Roasted Chicken
If roasting a whole chicken in your dutch oven while camping intimidates you, don’t let it! This incredibly easy recipe features detailed instructions so you can make sure this meal turns out perfectly.
I would recommend bringing a meat thermometer with you so there’s no guessing if the chicken is ready or not.
27. Dutch Oven Chicken Pot Pie
There is just something so comforting about a chicken pot pie isn’t there?
This recipe from Pack Your Bagiuos only takes about 15 minutes to prep and 30 minutes of cook time. By using a prepared pie crust, the pie comes together easily and will be a definite crowd-pleaser.
28. BBQ Dutch Oven Chicken and Potatoes
This super simple recipe features flavorful ingredients and comes together quickly in your dutch oven. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting to eat it. Because, bacon. Yumm.
We like to follow the recipe from Clarks Condensed.
29. Dutch Oven Chicken Marbella
Would you like a gourmet campfire experience without all the work? Then this recipe for Chicken Marbella is for you.
Fresh Off the Grid does it again, delivering all the instructions for a yummy meal full of Mediterranean flavors.
They recommend combining the ingredients in a large freezer bag at home and throwing it in your cooler. This makes for super easy prep at your campsite.
30. Dutch Oven Chicken and Dumplings
Another comfort food winner – chicken and dumplings!
Cook time is about an hour, so be prepared to sit around the fire and chat for a bit while your delicious dinner cooks.
The great thing about camping is you don’t have to be in a hurry! Dinner is ready when dinner is ready.
Get the entire recipe from Adventure Brite.
Dutch Oven Beef Recipes
31.Kalamata Olive and Sundried Tomato Pot Roast
Blow your family’s mind by serving up pot roast on your camping trip. (Well, my family’s mind would be blown.)
This is such a great Italian twist on pot roast and I can’t wait to try it either at home or on our next camping trip.
You can view the entire recipe and list of ingredients from Family Spice.
32. Campfire Stew
This campfire stew is easy to prepare and only requires four ingredients to make. Yes, four! Talk about the perfect recipe to serve your hungry camping crowd.
To make this while camping, be sure to refer to the notes in the post.
Get the recipe from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us.
33. Campfire Beef Stew and Dumplings
Believe it or not, this recipe only takes about 5 minutes to prepare in your dutch oven. Simply do some advanced prep work at home such as chopping up your veggies and meat.
Then, be prepared for up to three hours of cook time at the campsite.
View the entire recipe from Craft Invaders.
34. Dutch Oven Short Ribs
Roasting the short ribs for 30 minutes gives this recipe amazing flavor. On top of that, mix in beer, BBQ sauce, and water to cook the veggies.
The result? The most tender and flavorful ribs you have ever tasted.
Get the recipe and instructions from dutch oven short ribs from Miss In The Kitchen..
35. Old Fashioned Goulash
If you need a meal that feeds a crowd, is packed with flavor and also very easy, this recipe is for you.
Another great thing about this recipe is you can add or substitute ingredients your family likes. Add corn or beans, make it Mexican style with different spices.
Get this Goulash recipe from the site My Incredible Recipes.
Dutch Oven Desserts
Are you ready for the sweet stuff? Get ready to have a very happy sweet tooth.
36. Dutch Oven Upside-Down Pineapple Cake
This recipe is nearly fool-proof and feeds a hungry crowd. The Good Hearted Woman’s instructions and you should have one tasty cake ready in about an hour.
37. Dutch Oven Berry Cobbler
After a long hard day of camping, what’s better than a warm berry cobbler? Not much.
This recipe uses refrigerated biscuit dough, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries and comes together in a little over an hour. Get her Dutch Oven Berry Cobble recipe.
38. Texas Peach Cobbler
Being a Texan myself, I can tell you just how popular peach cobbler is. It’s a mainstay and something I look forward to every peach season.
For this Peach Cobbler recipe, you’ll need two crusts; one for the top and one for the bottom. You could either used prepared crust or make it ahead and freeze, pulling it out about 15 minutes before you start cooking.
39. 10-Minute Dutch Oven S’Mores Cake
A lot of these dutch oven camping recipes take quite a bit of time to cook, that’s just part of what makes the recipes so delicious.
But, if you’re tired or in a hurry, the last thing you want to do is spend an hour or more making dessert for those hungry camping people.
That’s where this 10-minute Dutch Oven S’Mores Cake comes to the rescue.
How is a cake recipe done in 10-minutes you ask? It uses a prepared angel food cake. Brilliant! Get the recipe from Polka Dot Chair.
40. How to Bake a Pie in a Dutch Oven
Whether you want peach or strawberry rhubarb, this dutch oven recipe for baking a pie is perfect for wet pies such as these.
Baking a pie in cast iron helps the bottom crisp up and to not be soggy like so many fruit pies tend to be.
Follow this dutch oven pie recipe from Practical Self Reliance.
Tips for Dutch Oven Camp Cooking Beginners
Are you a novice dutch oven camp cook? No worries!
Here are some great resources to watch and read so you can be educated on the best practices. Remember, take the Nike approach because the best way to learn Dutch oven cooking is to just do it!
- Tips for How to Clean Your Dutch Oven
- The Complete Beginners Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking
- Conversion Chart for Coal Temperatures
Are you ready to whip up some amazing meals on your next camping trip? We truly hope these Dutch Oven camping recipes help you to put together a delicious menu your family will devour at the campsite.
Be sure to check out these other TREKKN RECOMMENDS lists for great camping recipes:
- Foil Packet Meals
- Make-Ahead Camping Meals
- Easy RV Meals
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Julie Bonner
Julie specializes in helping you whip up delicious meals in your tiny RV kitchen, as well as RV organization tips and helping fellow RVers make their RV feel like home. Her favorite RVing spot is in Banff National Park in Canada where yes, the water really is that blue and the people really are that nice.
